


Short Easy Words

by Ellie5192



Series: Two Birds [10]
Category: E/R (1984)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-28
Updated: 2013-07-28
Packaged: 2017-12-21 15:32:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,137
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/901926
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ellie5192/pseuds/Ellie5192
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>-It is more fun to talk with someone who doesn't use long, difficult words but rather short, easy words like "What about lunch?" -- Pooh's Little Instruction Book, inspired by A. A. Milne-</p><p>They've talked about marriage in a far away, maybe-someday kind of way; as an abstract kind of future, when the three of them are a real little family.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Short Easy Words

**Author's Note:**

> I’m finding these two again. I love them dearly, and promise to devote more time to them now that I’m not working full time, and exams are over. Funny that uni going back actually affords me more time, but if you’re still here, please know I appreciate and adore you- you’re a patient reader.  
> This chapter is a long time overdue. I hope you enjoy.

_**Short Easy Words** _

"I can't believe you're actually going to eat that"

She looks up and sees Howard opposite her, his nose scrunched as much as it possibly can be and a look on his face that frankly makes her want to burst into giggles. His revulsion is obvious.

"You've done this twice now, and you can't believe a heavily pregnant woman is willing to eat a pasta salad sandwich?"

She lets out a little laughing huff at him, and then opens her mouth wide and takes a huge bite of her sandwich, moaning in joy as she chews. Howard visibly shudders in disgust and goes back to his own food for a moment. It's not much of a dinner, but it's what she feels like tonight.

She's just reached seven months, and though she still looks like she swallowed a basketball, Peanut is now out and proud in the world, stretching any clothes she still squeezes into and demanding a whole new set of skirts and pants. She'd despaired the first time her zipper wouldn't do up, and Howard had spent half an hour holding her as she cried, and convincing her she was as beautiful as ever. She hadn't believed him until they got back home that night, and he told her again and again, in every way, and then she was finally convinced, and thoroughly satisfied. Since that breakdown she's been embracing her pregnancy; as a doctor she doesn't often see it up close, and as a woman it's a process she's been desperate to experience firsthand.

Work has been slow tonight, not that she's going to risk saying anything out loud, lest fate intervene. She's just about ready to go on maternity leave, and Howard won't let near anything that even remotely looks like a risk. She's going stir crazy, but she understands that he frets because he cares.

"So Eve"

"Hmm?"

"I was going to ask you something"

"What is it, Howard?" she asks around another mouthful. He seems to change his mind about something, or looks slightly more sheepish, but before she can question it he covers it up with something else.

"About the nursery" he says quickly, finishing his dinner with a final bite and watching her do the same.

"I was going to organise all that once you've placed me under house arrest"

He shoots her a glare. If it was up to him she would already be at home with her feet up. She only smirks back at him. They're both working through to 1am tonight, which he's not happy about for her, but lives with anyway. She has to remind him that she's pregnant, not a cripple. It helps that she's still so petite- he almost forget sometimes just how far along she is.

He goes quiet again, and she waits patiently for him to blurt out whatever it was that he was going to say before but didn't. "What is it Howard?" she prods, light and encouraging, and the fact that she's positively glowing when she meets his eye helps.

He bites the inside of his cheek, looks around as though searching, checks that the door is still closed, and then abruptly pulls his chair back and lands on the floor next to her. She only realises what he's doing when she sees he is literally on one knee.

"Marry me?"

He spits the words out, as though afraid that if he says them slowly he won't finish, or she'll have time enough to think about it. He takes one of her hands and she squeezes it as her eyes go wide and her mouth falls open.

"What?" she whispers.

"Will you marry me, Eve?" he repeats, softer and slower than before, deliberate and fierce in that way he has when he really wants her to listen. Her grip doesn't let up on his hand, and he takes that as a very good sign.

"Howard" she whispers, and tears spring up in her eyes, and he can see that he has completely taken her by surprise, and so he refuses to freak out until she's regained her senses. She wouldn't want him to move until she's had time enough to process what he's asking. They've talked about marriage in a far away, maybe-someday kind of way; as an abstract kind of future, when the three of them (plus Jenny and David of course) are a real little family. But they have never put any kind of timeline on it, and never really taken it seriously. He assumes she is as open to the idea as he is; he really does think third time could be the charm. Since Sam's visit a couple of months ago it's been playing heavily on his mind. He isn't afraid of losing her or anything like that- they are crazy about each other and this time genuinely feels different. But he wants to do this right, and he knows that marriage means more to her than she would ever admit; that she longs for the normalcy that a wedding ring conveys and the security of living the dream. She's not a shallow person- she could live without it- but he has heard the way she speaks, and knows it is something she wants on top of the career and a family.

"Will you?" he whispers, looking her dead in the eye. A couple of tears escape and run down her cheeks. The Eve of old would never have allowed herself that weakness without hiding it, but since her pregnancy she's been more open to showing him her emotions. He thinks sometimes she has to remind herself to show him these things- that it's all part of being a team. He's proud of her for that, because he knows it isn't easy for her, and he's thankful she makes the effort for him.

She nods a couple of times, a watery smile on her face. "Yes, Howard, yes, of course I will, yes" she says, laughing through her tears and wiping her cheeks with the hand not still firmly held in his.

"Oh thank God" he breaths. He pulls her into a hug from where he's kneeling on the floor. She laughs at him, her hands letting go only long enough to wrap around his neck. He clutches her tightly.

"Oh no" he gasps, suddenly pulling back from her. She looks a bit startled, but her hands stay on his shoulders.

"What?"

"I left the ring at home. I didn't plan on just blurting it out like that, I was going to take you to dinner, give you a foot rub, maybe try and seduce you, and then catch you in a moment of weakness- I don't have the ring here, oh I've done this all wrong-"

He stops and looks at her as he notices her shoulders are shaking and her lips are pursed in silent giggles, looking at him with the greatest fondness. When he looks in her eye she lets a burst of laughter escape, and he glares at her good-naturedly.

"It's not funny, Eve, I was going to do this properly and now I've gone and-"

She crashes her lips against his and he falls silent, and though they rarely indulge in these moments at work, he takes pleasure in simply taking a few moments to enjoy the feel of her wrapped all around him, her arms once again around his neck.

She breaks with a smile and a half chuckle in her throat. "Howard, I don't care how you propose to me, just so long as you mean it"

"Of course I mean it" he says. His voice is raspy.

"Well then, that's all that matters to me" she whispers, and she kisses him again.

"If I ask you again, properly, tonight when I have the ring, can you act surprised and still say yes?"

She giggles at him. "You can ask me again with the ring, Howard, and I will still say yes" She kisses him one more time and then pulls away and caresses his face, a look on her face that just melts him. "Yes, yes" she whispers.

"What a relief" he says, teasing her. "I was so worried"

She scoffs at him, a smile on her face, and then groans when she hears the tell-tale sound of sirens a few blocks away, and the shrill voice of Maria calling in the patient.

"Duty calls" he mutters, running his hand through her hair and kissing her again. "You stay here- I'll call you if I need an extra set of hands"

"Howard-"

"Do administrator-y things for a while. Write up some reports, do staff evaluations, annoy Stickley… I'll call if I need you"

She rolls her eyes, but nods at him with a half-smile. "Fine, fine. I'll stay in my corner like an invalid" she grouches.

"Thank you"

"Oh, and Howard? Tell Thor I'm approving her long weekend"

"What's that for?" he asks. He knows nothing about a long weekend request, and is suddenly concerned. She's been nothing but upbeat during her treatment, and hasn't missed an hour's work. They've all rallied for her, and Ace more than anyone has stepped up and taken on more work, but Howard doesn't know what the weekend is about, and is frightened.

"Her last treatments" says Eve, her expression restrained yet hopeful.

"Are you serious?" says Howard.

"Mmm-hmm. I don't think she wanted anyone to know, just in case it didn't work out- you know how she is. But if it all goes well, this should be her last big hit and then she's in remission. Her oncologist is quietly optimistic"

Howard looks positively teary, his hands on his hips and his lips pursed as though to hold in his joy. They both know that with cancer anything could happen; that too often people jump the gun and believe themselves to be in the clear when they're not. But Thor's been fighting this for a year now, a brief period of respite interrupted when the cancer returned, and it looks like a vigorous round of treatment has finally knocked it back for good. As doctors they would never say she was forever cured. As her friend they can only hope. She nods at Howard to say that she agrees; she's positively giddy over the fact that she'll be okay, and just in time for the baby to come too.

"I'll let her know her day off has been approved" says Howard. His voice is thick in his throat.

"Stop it, you'll make me cry" she says softly, half laughing, her eyes already watering as she watches the pure joy on Howard's face. She knows that he and Thor are particularly close.

He just nods and walks to the door. He stops with his hand on the doorknob and turns back to her. "I love you" he says.

"I love you too. Now off to work"

He salutes her and then saunters out into the ER with a grin on his face and a spring in his step. She smiles in his wake, and then rubs her eyes of its tears, her other hand resting on her belly.

Many hours later the door to the break room opens and Howard walks in, exhausted but happy. She had attended to one patient in the meantime, but Howard had insisted she stay out of the way when a drugged adolescent was admitted; he didn't trust the kid not to turn violent and didn't want to risk Eve getting hurt. She had grumbled, but the others had everything under control, so she did as she was asked and caught up on paperwork in the break room.

"Time to go home?" she asks with a smile. Howard sighs and walks over to her, slumping against her shoulder. She oomphs under his weight, but pats his hip all the same, grinning at him. He rubs her shoulder.

"Let's ditch this party" says Howard. "Our replacements just arrived"

"Sounds good"

They quickly gather their things and leave together, saying goodnight to the staff still in the ER. There was a time when they would have gone in separate cars, for the sake of propriety, but now their proximity is as natural as air. Nobody blinks when they leave arm-in-arm, discussing their dinner plans or whatever else is on their mind.

Eve grins when they walk in the door and set their things down. They're both working again tomorrow afternoon, so have to get to bed soon, and Jenny is long asleep. But she remembers that Howard proposed to her tonight, and can't stop the stupid grin on her face as they walk in the door and she realises that this place is truly her home. Not that it hasn't felt that way before, but there is something so permanent about marriage, and though Howard has done it before, she hasn't, and all of the emotions that were absent before come to the surface, and she's giggling before she can stop herself.

"What's so funny?" asks Howard.

"No, nothing" she says, waving him off.

He must realise something is up though, and maybe even knows what she's thinking, because he drags her to the bedroom and pushes her to sit on the edge of the bed. "Stay there" he says. She nods and smiles, listening to him make his way to his side, open his draw and then close it again.

He steps around to face her, and straightens his face comically before kneeling very deliberately in front of her. In his hand is a small black box, and she's teary again before she can stop it, cursing her hormones all the while. He takes her hand and turns serious, looking her in the eye.

"Eve Sheridan. I love you, and I love that you're having my baby, and I want to spend the rest of my life fighting with you and then having great make-up sex" She laughs and lightly whacks his shoulder. "But mostly I want to spend the rest of my life loving you, by your side. Raising our family and working together. And there is no-one on this earth I love fighting with more. And no-one on this earth I love more than you-"

"Except your kids" she says with a smirk that turns into a cheeky grin.

"Will you let me finish?"

"Sorry. Continue"

"Thank you" he says with mock indignation. "I love you, and I want to spend the rest of my days with you. Eve, will you do me the honour-" He opens the box and holds the ring towards her, and a few tears fall again. "-of nagging me for the rest of our lives?"

She half laughs, and then scoffs at him and gives him a look. "That was a terrible proposal" she says with an affected huff. He grins, and then sits next to her on the bed, angled towards her, the box still open and waiting. She angles her own body to look at him too, their thighs touching, and his free hand comes up to tuck her hair behind her ear. He leaves it to rest against her cheek, and her eyes slip closed with an emotional hum.

"Eve" he whispers tenderly.

"Yes Howard?"

Her eyes open again to meet his, and he is smiling at her will all his love. She still gets very self-conscious under that look; it's hard for her to rationalise being so important to another person.

"Will you marry me?"

She smiles, all toothy and bright, and then nods. "Yes. I will marry you"

He sweeps her into a tight embrace, rocking her against him, and she laughs over his shoulder and hugs him right back. He lets her go after a long time, kisses her firmly, and then pulls away to look at her. There are tears in his eyes too.

"Well? Does a girl have to put her own ring on, or what?"

He grins at her and then pulls the ring from its case and holds it up, and she raises her hand for him. He wiggles it on to her finger and watches as it falls perfectly into place- he already took a peak for her ring size before he bought it. He watches her face as she watches her hand; her eyes are wide as she looks at the diamond nestled perfectly on her finger.

"Howard, it's perfect" she mutters, her voice choked with emotion.

"I'm glad you like it"

"Oh, I love you" she sighs, kissing him. "I love you so much"

He spends a good few minutes kissing her, muttering over and over how much he loves her, because he has no other words to describe how happy he is that she's agreed to be his wife. At some point during his make-out session he has laid her back on the bed, and then she hums, deep in the back of her throat and he is suddenly very aroused.

He pulls back, and then slowly and deliberately runs his hands under her blouse, pushing the material up as he goes. She smiles at him under hooded lashes, her fingers subtly undoing the buttons on his shirt, and then she pulls her arms away just long enough to pull the blouse over her head in one go.

They stare at each other as she scoots further onto the bed, and he follows, and before long they are both naked and worked up, lips almost bruised from kissing. He looks her over, slow and deliberate, and runs his hands over her skin, and over the life inside her. She whimpers with emotion at that. He lies down next to her and encourages her to rise above him, and then she's on top of him and all over, and his hands can't touch her enough. They make love slowly, savouring the different feelings and the fact they have to accommodate her stomach. He whispers encouragement, and tells her he loves to see her like this; that she's never looked sexier. She moans his name because his words run straight through her.

Later they fall asleep tangled together, her back against his chest, their hands entwined over their baby. A few more tears leak from her eyes, and he kisses her neck and hums into her skin. Amazing to think that just a year ago she had none of this, she thinks, but says nothing as they both fall further into sleep, her ring comforting and heavy on her finger. It feels foreign to have a ring on that hand; she thinks she'll soon get used to it though. He whispers  _I love you_  and she says it right back, just before sleep takes them.

Three simple words, she thinks, can change an awful lot.


End file.
